In the September/October issue the author analyzed trends in business and society and identified three pillars of the new economy. After that article was published, readers were asked to share their views on what these changes mean for the world of early childhood. In this article, the author summarizes respondent's views. [For Part 1, see…

In order to set the stage for the "actors in academia," the author suggests that the following roles and responsibilities are the most significant ones for the college/university professor, including some for students: (1) Actor; (2) Communicator; (3) Facilitator; (4) Trainer/Coach; (5) Craftsman (craft of teaching); and (6) Manager. After 40…

The assessment movement in higher education is now into its fourth decade. Although real and worthy progress is certainly evident to those who have been in the teaching profession at least that long, the changes remain largely superficial. Well-intentioned mandates have received respectful accommodation. At the institutional level, teachers have…

Many countries in the "developed world" are engaging in what has been described as a "systemic" reform of their education systems, due in part to the competitive economic pressures of globalisation. Much literature has been generated about globalisation, exploring the dynamic interrelationship said to exist between economic…

The expansion of the organic sector in Brazil is seen as a leverage for the social emancipation of the small family farmers. Next to the traditional alternatives circuits of organic food and farming, new powerful capitalistic actors, such as supermarket chains, are rapidly entering the Brazilian organic arena. Can family farming benefit from the…

Little work has considered explicitly the role of farm tenancy in influencing the uptake (or not) of diversification activities. The need to examine this link has been heightened because of the 2003 CAP reforms and the decision to tie Single Farm Payment (SFP) entitlement to the land rather than what is produced on that land. The main objective of…

The Millennials, born from 1980 to 2000, have begun entering the profession, and many will not stay longer than 5 years. They have a unique set of talents, skills, and work ethic, unlike those from previous generations. They are extremely eager to be successful. If strong supportive programs of mentoring, induction, career ladders, and ongoing…

Although the value of social capital for organization and individual career success is widely recognized, gender as a moderator in the building of social capital in organizational settings has not received adequate research attention. This chapter looks at how professional women use one aspect of social capital--networks--to assist with their…

In this paper I frame the totalizing dominance of performativity in educational arenas in terms of its effects on professional thinking and attitudes. The problem is that the education professional's cognition ends up artificially obsessed with defined performance indicators and closed by default to the fluidity that should accompany reflective…

Computer software is pervasive in today's society. The rate at which new versions of computer software products are released is phenomenal when compared to the release rate of new products in traditional industries such as aircraft building. This rapid rate of change can partially explain why most certifications in the software industry are…

Sixty-eight percent of people who are approaching retirement age report that they intend to work full time or part time after retirement, mostly because they want to. With today's life span stretching to 80 years and beyond, turning 60 is no longer an end-stage event. Instead, it is the beginning of a new developmental phase. This article…

Malcolm Perdue faces a dilemma as challenging as the computer games he loves to play. The 19-year-old student at Atlanta Metropolitan College wants to learn how to become a game designer. Not only would doing so be a lot of fun, designers can make $80,000 a year early in their careers. But his school has limited options in the field. Nearby…

Teacher burnout is recognized as a serious problem. In research it has been related to many person-specific variables; one of these, the variable of existential fulfilment, has received very little attention thus far. The present study focuses on the relationship between existential fulfilment and burnout among secondary school teachers in the…

Quynh (pseudonym), a Vietnamese-American female, was an honor student in her K-12 education in Vietnam four decades ago. April 30, 1975, abruptly signaled the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War. Many military personnel from the former regime found themselves and their loved ones in danger of being persecuted by the victorious new…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the organizational factors that influence faculty sense of agency in their professional lives and whether the relationship between organizational factors and faculty agency manifests differently by gender. Past literature on faculty has largely taken an approach that was termed a "narrative of…